Tuesday, March 29, 2011

By Bill Meredith‭As financial experts continue to look for indicators as to the status of the economic recession,‭ ‬a trend in Palm Beach County may hint that its grip is on the decline.

It‭’‬s the opening,‭ ‬or reopening,‭ ‬of live music nightclubs,‭ ‬which historically attract people only if those people have money to spend.‭ ‬That‭’‬s the mantra of club owners,‭ ‬who realize that they‭’‬re in a risky business even during prosperous times.

The iconic upstairs venue,‭ ‬historically more of a blues concert venue than nightclub,‭ ‬has featured since-deceased blues man Bo Diddley,‭ ‬plus John Hammond,‭ ‬NRBQ,‭ ‬Elvin Bishop,‭ ‬Hubert Sumlin,‭ ‬Col.‭ ‬Bruce Hampton,‭ ‬and Adrian Belew.‭ ‬Now open three nights a week rather than its original five,‭ ‬the club also offers a touch less blues,‭ ‬and a bit more rock and jam bands,‭ ‬among its proven regional-to-national acts.

The Bamboo Room in Lake Worth is back open after a three-year hiatus.

‭“‬The economic numbers have been improving for some time,‭”‬ says Russell Hibbard,‭ ‬who owns the Bamboo Room‭ ‬with his wife,‭ ‬Karen McKinley.‭ “‬But I‭’‬ve been saying for‭ ‬years that it‭’‬s the area job market that really needs to get better for the‭ ‬club to do well.‭ ‬We‭’‬re hopeful.‭”

Interior changes include a revamped sound system and LED lights,‭ ‬and there are new benches and a second bar on the outdoor patio.‭ ‬Forthcoming cameras will illuminate the stage to high-definition flat-screens on the patio,‭ ‬and a‭ ‬1950s-style diner will serve food downstairs.

“I‭’‬m mostly working on cars now,‭”‬ Hibbard says.‭ “‬I was training for the‭ ‬12‭ ‬Hours of Sebring race until we opened in‭ ‬’99.‭ ‬So I‭’‬m getting back in shape to‭ ‬drive several endurance races per year.‭”

If the reopening mob scene from Feb.‭ ‬17-19‭ ‬was any indication,‭ ‬the Bamboo Room should again prove enduring as well.

Two blues and roots music venues are also breathing again in Delray Beach.‭ ‬Elwood‭’‬s Dixie Bar-B-Q,‭ ‬at‭ ‬301‭ ‬N.E.‭ ‬3rd Ave.,‭ ‬Delray Beach‭ (‬561-272-7427‭)‬,‭ ‬which‭ ‬also‭ ‬reopened in February,‭ ‬is still the no-frills juke joint it was from‭ ‬1993-2009.‭ ‬Owner Michael Elwood Gochenour shut down the original site,‭ ‬only three blocks away,‭ ‬by selling it to the owners of the current,‭ ‬neon-lit restaurant Johnnie Brown‭’‬s.

Yet Johnnie Brown‭’‬s now sits on prime downtown real estate just east of the railroad tracks on the heavily‭ ‬traveled East Atlantic Avenue,‭ ‬while the new Elwood‭’‬s is three blocks north on the west side of‭ ‬those tracks.‭ ‬It‭’‬s near the residential Pineapple Grove area at the intersection of Northeast Third Avenue and Northeast Third Street,‭ ‬so the new locale will have to rely more on word of mouth than on passers-by.‭ ‬But the lingering scent of barbecue should waft‭ ‬at least as far as those townhouse windows.

‭“‬This is the old location of The Annex and the Two-Thirds Tavern,‭ ‬which did well here,‭”‬ says general manager Shawn Metz,‭ ‬who was also GM at the original Elwood‭’‬s.‭ “‬I'm optimistic.‭ ‬We'll have some of the old staff back‭; ‬lots of the old signs and furnishings,‭ ‬and most of the bands that played before.‭ ‬So we should get some of the old patrons.‭”

John Yurt has owned the traveling blues revue since‭ ‬1992,‭ ‬and‭ ‬had his grand reopening Friday‭ (‬following his trial run,‭ ‬a maxed-out,‭ ‬sneak-peek reopening party on Feb.‭ ‬19‭)‬.‭ ‬It will be his fourth different location on Atlantic Avenue alone,‭ ‬this one tucked into the west end of the plaza on the southwest corner of Atlantic and Congress avenues.

Pineapple Groove has opened at the old City Limits in Delray Beach.

Also in Delray Beach,‭ ‬the evocatively‭ ‬named,‭ ‬500-capacity Pineapple Groove‭ (‬19‭ ‬N.E.‭ ‬3rd Ave.,‭ ‬561-450-7953,www.pineapplegroove.com‭) ‬started to feature everything from local to national acoustic singer/songwriters and rock bands to blues and R&B acts a few months ago.‭ ‬The‭ ‬8,000-square-foot venue is the old City Limits,‭ ‬which also closed in‭ ‬2009.‭ ‬But Pineapple Groove features technical upgrades that include high-definition cameras to record live music videos.

‭“‬There's a full high-definition‭ ‬production studio built-in now,‭”‬ says executive producer Randy Grinter.‭ “‬We pretty much went over the top between sound,‭ ‬lighting,‭ ‬projection and recording.‭ ‬We want everything here to be as good as it gets for both audience and performer.‭”

‭“‬Mitch hosts a popular songwriter showcase,‭”‬ Stone says,‭ “‬where we book featured performers,‭ ‬as opposed to an‭ ‬all-out open mike night.‭ ‬And we‭’‬ve shot a live music video for David Shelley,‭ ‬who's a rising blues artist out of Fort Lauderdale.‭”

Perhaps the strongest cause for economic optimism is fledgling area clubs featuring jazz.‭ ‬Opening such venues in the past had,‭ ‬sadly,‭ ‬only proven to be a sure-fire way to part with a thriving bank account.

Yet Apicus,‭ ‬an elegant Florentine restaurant at‭ ‬210‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Ocean Ave.‭ ‬in Lantana‭ (‬561-533-5998‭)‬,‭ ‬has offered jazz on weekends since late‭ ‬2010,‭ ‬providing a counterpoint to the popular music at the Old Key Lime House‭ (‬300‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Ocean Ave.,‭ ‬561-582-1889,‭ ‬www.oldkeylimehouse.com‭)‬.‭ ‬Florida‭’‬s oldest waterfront restaurant,‭ ‬this Key West-style wooden structure is located only a few doors down on the small town‭’‬s popular waterfront thoroughfare.

In Lake Worth,‭ ‬Dolce Vita‭ (‬609‭ ‬Lake Ave.,‭ ‬561-493-3330‭) ‬is a wine bar that‭’‬s featured live jazz on Saturdays since it replaced the former Soma Center a few months ago.

‭“‬I play there in a trio with keyboardist Brad Keller and singer Alex Bach,‭”‬ says West‭ ‬Palm Beach bassist Randy Ward,‭ “‬and we usually rotate a fourth person as a special guest.‭ ‬We've been there for a couple of months,‭ ‬and more and more people seem to be showing up each week.‭”

The Cultural Plaza Stage,‭ ‬located on M Street between Lake and Lucerne avenues,‭ ‬and the Bryant Park band shell,‭ ‬on Lake Avenue at the Intracoastal Waterway,‭ ‬are two other popular destinations for frequent special and multi-band events.